Here With Me
by Doctor Addison Montgomery
Summary: When Aiden Burn hears of Flack's condition she returns to New York immediatly. However when she gets back she is confronted by her suppressed feelings for Don as well as the mixed emotions of seeing Danny with her replacement. You decide if its DA or FA!
1. Back In Town

**Here With Me  
****Chapter 1 : Back In Town**

**Summary:** When Aiden Burn hears of Flack's condition she returns to New York immediatly. However when she gets back she is confronted by her suppressed feelings for Don as well as the mixed emotions of seeing Danny with her replacement. Will be DannyAiden or FlackAiden...whichever you decide. Please review and tell me what you think! Luv, Vikki x

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Aiden Burn got out of the taxi as it pulled up outside of the hospital, she reached over the pay the driver. The cost was extorniate having travelled straight from the airport to the hospital during one of the busiest times of the day. Getting out of the yellow cab and swinging her holdall over her shoulder, Aiden made her way towards the entrance of the hospital. She took a deep breath of the city air and walked inside. When Mac had telephoned her earlier that day the only thing she could think of was to get here as quickly as possible for Flack's sake and to support her colleagues, well ex colleagues. Part of her was looking forward to meeting her replacement just to see what she was like but at the same time she knew she'd feel resentful even though it was herself she had to blame. The last time Danny had contacted her was two weeks after her departure from New York and her life there, he had told her about Lindsay, the new CSI. He hadn't said much at the time but it was still early days and Aiden knew that it took a while to settle in. Now she had to face all of her old friends and colleagues but this time there would be no sense of belonging just a sense of being a distant part of their lives. She missed working closely with them everyday, especially Danny and Flack who had become good friends during her time at CSI: New York. Now Flack was injured and might not make and she would still seem like an outsider to the people who had once seemed like her extended family. At reception she asked which ward Flack was on and followed the directions the nurse gave her. She saw her once fellow CSIs before they saw her as she approached the door that lead onto Flack's ward. Aiden stopped for a second and watched them through the glass panel in the door. Mac and Stella were talking to each other and they both looked like they needed to sleep, Sheldon was staring at the ground and Danny was holding Lindsay's hand and appeared to be convincing her that it would all be okay. Aiden felt her heart sink in her chest when she saw them together, she wanted to be the one that Danny was comforting or at least be comforting him. Lindsay barely knew Flack and how dare she be acting like this? Aiden stopped herself mid thought, she knew that wasn't fair and this wasn't time to be jealous, especially not in these circumstances. Taking another breath, Aiden pushed open the door and was suddenly fixed with five pairs of eyes, each showing a different emotion as Aiden Burn walked back into their lives.

"Aiden?" Danny gasped, letting go of Lindsay's hand and getting to his feet. They took uncertain steps towards each other and finally hugged. "How have you been?"

"Not so bad." She said. "How's Don doing?"

Mac looked up at her sympathetically. "Not so great Aiden but you can pop in and see him if you want."

Aiden gave him a weak smile and nodded. "I'd like that."

Mac stood up to and pushed over the door to Flack's room and held it open for her.

"Will you be okay?" He asked.

Aiden nodded, feeling tears well up in her eyes. It was too much at once. "I'll be fine thanks."

Seeming satisfied with this Mac went back to sit with the others while Aiden ventured into the room alone.

"Don? Honey, it's Aiden." She said softly, sitting at his beside. "What have you gotten yourself into now?" She tried to make things seem light and friendly but her heart was breaking just seeing him like this. Aiden wished she could have got here sooner. "I don't know, I've only been away a little while and you have to pull a dramatic stunt like this to get me back here?" She gave a small laugh but it lacked conviction.

"Aiden?" Don Flack croaked, she could feel him responding to the grip on his hand now.

"I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere." She assured him in a low voice.

"Where am I?" He asked, trying to move but the pain was too much.

"Hey, lay still it's okay Don. You're in hospital, for once you are actually lucky to be in this place. Mac told me that a bomb went off and it was touch and go for you back there."

"Yeah." He croaked again. "What are you doing back here Aid?"

"I couldn't not come back could I? When Mac told what had happened to you of course I had to come back."

"You didn't have to." He said, getting weaker again now and straining to breathe.

"Yes I did." She told him firmly. "Yes I did."


	2. Hold Me Close

**Here With Me  
Chapter 2 : Hold Me Close...****

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**Thank you sooo much to everyone who reviewed, it means the world to me and you are the best! There is some Dna this chapter for Bleedingmascara as a birthday gift, hope you like! It's still up to you whether this ends up Danny/Aiden and Flack/Lindsay or Flack/Aiden and Danny/Lindsay. Hopefully I'll be able to update again before I go away on Sunday. Please review, luv Vikki xx.**

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**When it became to difficult for Flack to talk he and Aiden sat in companiable silence, she gently stroked the back of his hand with her thumb as she held it in hers. All she could hear now was the sound of Flack's breathing and the technical whirring of the machines that he was wired up to. Things seemed to have become quieter in the corridor and Aiden wondered if they had decided to call it a night knowing that Don wouldn't be alone now. Somehow Aiden doubted this knowing how the unit stuck together through so much, although not when it was her turn to be fired and then things were very different. Aiden sighed, what mattered now was Flack and not what had happened in the past. Flack's eyes were closed now and she guessed that he was trying to sleep. The silence seemed to become more intense and Aiden felt herself panic. 

"Don! Don!" She stood up and in her hurry she knocked over the chair she had been sitting on. Her fear taking over, Aiden hit the panic button and waited for a nurse to arrive.

"What's wrong?" The blonde haired nurse asked when she rushed into the room less than a minute later.

"He's not breathing right." Aiden said, her voice a semi tone in her panicked state.

"Can you give us some space?" The nurse asked but Aiden knew it was an order not a question. She simply nodded and exited the room, trying to steady her own breathing.

"What's the matter?" Stella asked, leaping forward towards Aiden as she entered the corridor.

"He stopped breathing." She said and was met with astounded stares from the others.

"What? But he was doing okay just now." Lindsay piped up.

Aiden took the comment the wrong way. "You think this is my fault?" She demanded, her jet lag and the emotional stress from the day taking it's toll on her. "I knew it was a mistake to come back." With that Aiden Burn stormed out of the door.

Lindsay looked confused, that wasn't what she had meant. She was just shocked that Flack's stabilished condition had suddenly gone down hill. Danny touched her arm to let her know it wasn't her fault.

"I'll go after her." Stella sighed, her own fatigue catching up with her.

"No it's okay Stella, you stay here. I'll go." Danny followed in Aiden's wake as he tried his hardest to catch up with her.

"Aiden?"

"Leave me alone." She snapped, carrying on walking at a pace which was more similar to a run.

"Aiden!" Danny shouted, he grabbed her by the arm and made her face him. She could make no attempt to hide the tears running down her face.

"Just leave me alone." She said but her voice was close to breaking.

"I'm not leaving you alone." He said firmly. "Don is dying upstairs and I will not let you walk away from me again!" The conviction in Danny's words were enough to stop Aiden from trying to run again.

"I'm so sorry." She said, breaking down into a fresh wave of tears. "I shouldn't have spoken to Lindsay like that."

"It's okay." Danny soothed, taking her face in his hands. "She knows you didn't mean it."

"What if he doesn't make it?" Aiden asked as more tears escaped from her eyes.

Danny took Aiden in his arms and held her close to him. "Don't think like that Aid. Don's a fighter."

"I know." Aiden smiled at the memories she had of Danny and Don back when she was a CSI.

"You wanna come back upstairs?" Danny asked putting his arm around her shoulders.

Aiden shook her head. "No, I don't think I could face it."

"Come on Aid, Don would want you to be there."

There was no way that Aiden could argue with that and she let Danny lead her back up the stairs to Flack's ward.

When Aiden and Danny entered the waiting room where the other CSIs were waiting an awkward silence elapsed. Mac finally broke it by asking Aiden questions about what she was doing now. Aiden replied as well as she could but since being fired she hadn't really done much with her life. Maybe that was why she was able to drop everything and come back to New York when Mac had told her about what had happened to Flack. Lindsay avoided being drawn into the conversation and Aiden knew that she would have to apologise to her later. After what seemed like an eternity a nurse finally emerged from Flack's room. Silence fell over them as they waited for the nurse to deliver the news.

"You'll be relieved to know that Don has regained normal breathing patterns and he is now responding to the treatment. However, as you probably know the first twenty four hours is the most important time and it is important that Don gets plenty of rest and not too much excitement." She looked pointedly at Aiden and Lindsay who blushed, clearly their disagreement had been overheard. "It would do you good if you got some rest as well." She smiled briefly and left them alone.

"Well I don't know about you lot but I'm staying here." Mac said, readjusting his position on the chair to try to make himself more comfortable.

"Me too." Stella agreed and Sheldon and Lindsay nodded too.

"I think I'm going to need some sleep but I'll be back in the morning." Danny promised, stifling a yawn.

"Yeah me too, the jet lag is catching up with me." Aiden said. "I'm going to find a motel and I'll be back in the morning so you guys can get some rest."

Aiden and Danny left the hospital and went out into the cool city air, it felt refreshing and invigorating after the suffocating hospital. Aiden shivered, not from the cold though.

"You cold?" Danny asked.

"Nah I'm okay, hospitals give me the creeps." She said.

"Me too." Danny nodded, his eyes clouding with his uncried tears. "My brother Louie died here only a few months ago."

Aiden's hand flew to her mouth. "Oh Danny, I'm so sorry, I didn't know! I would've come back sooner."

"It's okay." He gave her a weak smile. "And I'm okay."

Aiden got out her phone and Danny looked at her in puzzlement.

"What you doin' Aid?" He asked.

"Trying to get signal so I can find a motel." She replied.

"Don't be stupid, you're coming home with me." Danny replied, linking arms with her and guiding her to his car.

"Are you sure?" Aiden asked, she would prefer sleeping at Danny's than in a motel somewhere, though she doubted she'd be able to sleep much with everything that was going on.

They drove to Danny's house talking about the old times and what had happened since. They had forgotten how much they enjoyed each others company.

"I'll take the couch." Danny offered when they got back to his place. He went to get the spare bed linen.

"No, I insist. You've done enough for me by letting me stay here. I'll take the couch." She said firmly, taking the covers from him.

Danny knew better than to argue and they both went to their beds. Not long later Aiden woke up screaming from her troubled sleep. Danny came rushing into the room, anxious to know what was wrong.

"Aid, you okay?" He asked, for what seemed like the hundreth time in the past few hours.

"Just a dream." She replied, her breathing slowly returned to normal.

Danny sat next to her on the couch and pulled Aiden into his arms. "Don'll be okay, he'll fight this all the way."

"Yeah I know, I just feel bad for not being there for him...or you for that matter."

They hugged for what seemed like hours and when he knew Aiden was okay Danny began to slowly slip away back to his bed.

"Don't go." Aiden whispered so he didn't.

Somehow as their emotions took over Danny and Aiden's lips met in an uncertain kiss which turned passionate more quickly than they could have imagined. It might have been wrong but at that moment it just felt so right.


End file.
